Ohio Shooting Suspect Confesses, Prosecutor Says

Published: February 28, 2012

CHARDON, Ohio — The fatal shooting rampage in a high school in this quiet suburb of Cleveland remained a puzzle on Tuesday, with prosecutors saying that a student had confessed to the killings and had told them that he did not know his victims and chose them at random.

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T. J. Lane, 17, being escorted into court on Tuesday. The authorities have until Thursday to file charges against him in the shooting.

Prosecutors said the student, T. J. Lane, 17, admitted taking a .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic pistol to Chardon High School on Monday and firing 10 rounds at four students at a cafeteria table. He has not been formally charged, but prosecutors said it was likely that he would be tried in an adult court.

Three of the victims — Russell King Jr., Demetrius Hewlin and Daniel Parmertor — have died. Two others were wounded. One has been released from the hospital.

“This is not about bullying, this is not about drugs,” said David P. Joyce, the Geauga County prosecutor. “This was an effect of one lone gunman. He chose his victims at random.”

Mr. Lane appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, wincing as the prosecutors read the accusations against him. Dressed in a crisp khaki-colored shirt and dark low-slung pants with a thick belt, he sat in a wooden chair with his back straight, speaking in barely audible tones to the judge, Timothy J. Grendell, in Geauga County Juvenile Court. His face crumpled briefly into tears as he was led away, and he appeared to whisper the words “I am so sorry” to two aunts and his grandfather, Jack Nolan, who is also his legal guardian.

The authorities have until Thursday to charge Mr. Lane.

The day brought more questions than answers to this blue-collar town of 5,000 east of Cleveland. Mr. Lane is a sophomore at Lake Academy, an alternative high school for at-risk youths, some of whom take a bus from Chardon High School. Students interviewed at both schools described him as quiet but friendly, and interested in Nascar and hunting.

CNN reported on Tuesday that Mr. Lane had taken the gun from a family member, who had bought it legally, but Mr. Joyce said he could not confirm that.

“By all accounts, T. J. is a fairly quiet and a good kid,” said Robert N. Farinacci, the Lanes’ lawyer, who added that he had not been in trouble before.

David Rafail, 17, of Willoughby, Ohio, a student at a vocational school next to Lake Academy, said he used to take smoking breaks with Mr. Lane. He called him a quiet student who “was always alone.”

Jarod Mausolf, 17, a student at Lake Academy, said he had taken American history with Mr. Lane and called him a good student, though far more quiet than most.

“He never talked at all,” Mr. Mausolf said. “The expression on his face, it was sad. A sad face. Kind of blank.”

Another student, Damien Stewart, 16, a sophomore at Lake Academy, said he had an English class with Mr. Lane.

“He was pretty cool,” Mr. Stewart said. “Very quiet. Nobody really talked to him. Not because we didn’t like him, he just wasn’t a talker. He was very sweet, very nice, very friendly.”

Mr. Lane’s lawyer said the teenager had no prior trouble with the law. Mr. Lane’s father, Thomas Lane, was arrested in 2002 on charges of attempted murder, and a restraining order was imposed forbidding him to contact his former wife, according to court records. Mr. Lane struck a plea bargain for a lesser charge and was sentenced to four years in jail. He served nine months of his sentence and was released in June 2003.

The families of Mr. King and Mr. Hewlin issued statements on Tuesday that included a note of pride that their sons would be able to help others through organ donations. “We ask that Russell be remembered for who he was, a strong boy with a big heart,” the family of Mr. King said.

Mr. Hewlin’s family described him as a “happy young man who loved life and his family and friends.”

Joseph Bergant II, the superintendent of schools, said Chardon High School would reopen on Friday. Parents and students were invited to the school on Thursday to meet with counselors.

“We’re not just any old place, Chardon,” Mr. Bergant said “This is every place. As you’ve seen in the past, this can happen anywhere.”

Sabrina Tavernise reported from Chardon, Ohio, and Jennifer Preston from New York. Jess Bidgood contributed reporting from Boston, Alain Delaquérière from New York and Joan Raymond from Willoughby, Ohio.

A version of this article appears in print on February 29, 2012, on page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Ohio Suspect Confesses, Prosecutor Says.